5th Quarter receives state food producers grant
The 5th Quarter at the Mad River Taste Place in Waitsfield received a $158,876 grant from the the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets (VAAFM) program which recently awarded over $1,600,000 in grants to producers and processors in two industries through the Meat and Produce Agriculture Development Grants (ADG) program. Thirteen operations across 10 Vermont counties received funds for projects investing in infrastructural upgrades, increasing operational efficiency, enhancing food and worker safety, and improving climate resilience.
The5th Quarter grant is for construction of a second processing room, increasing capacity for processing and co-packing for Vermont farms.
The Meat and Produce ADG program received 172 applications with requests exceeding $25.6 million. The ADG programs represent the single highest requests for number of applications (Maple ADG) and requested funds (Meat and Produce ADG) in Agency history; together they represented 522 applications requesting
$43.6 million from the maple, meat and produce industries. Eligible projects were required to address one of three funding priorities: 1) Climate Resiliency, 2) Infrastructure, Efficiency & Capacity, and 3) Worker and Food Safety and Product Quality. Selected projects support operations across a diversity of the two eligible industries: Produce production (mushroom, fruit, and vegetable), produce processing, poultry production, livestock production (beef and sheep), poultry processing, and livestock processing (sheep, pork, beef, goat). Projects will run through mid-2026.
VAAFM received a wide array of eligible applications from businesses in all 14 of Vermont’s counties. Applicant businesses ranged from start-up stage producers to established commercial processors, with businesses of all sizes submitting applications. Agricultural businesses interested in future funding opportunities are encouraged to stay engaged through the Agricultural Development Division’s webpage at www.agriculture.vermont.gov/development .
Corner School Resource Center receives Preservation Trust of VT award
On June 5, 2024, The Corner School Resource Center of Granville (CSRC) received a Preservation Trust of Vermont award “For Outstanding Work in Preserving Vermont’s Built and Cultural Landscapes” at the 2024 Downtown and Historic Preservation Conference in Bellows Falls, a biennial celebration. The other five organizational awards all went to projects in communities larger than Granville (population 300), including the Old North End Community Center in Burlington and The Woolson Block in Springfield.
In addition to the group award, individual recognition was given to Mike Eramo Masonry and Ron Millard, former president of the CSRC board, for their volunteer efforts in the building’s renovation.
In other Corner School news, this past week 11 custom storm windows were installed in the 1871 schoolhouse. The work was done by Tom McLoughlin, Brattleboro.
“We have restored windows in private homes, libraries, churches, grange halls and one-room schoolhouses of which the Granville Corner School was our fourth to date,” said McLoughlin. “Though window work can be challenging, it is always interesting and appreciated by the community groups that choose us to bring their buildings back to their former glory.”
Paid for in part by a facilities grant from the Vermont Council on the Arts, the windows are helping insulate the schoolhouse, keeping it cool during the recent heat wave
For more information about the Corner School -- the building and its summer programming -- visit cornerschoolvt.org.
Summer solstice party at Lawson’s
Lawson’s Finest Liquids is holding a summer solstice party on June 20 at two locations. At the Taproom in Waitsfield there will be beer and seafood from Nor'Easter Catering from 4 to 7 p.m. and an open acoustic jam session. That same day, at Worthy Burger in South Royalton there will be giveaways, beer samples and live music by Route 5 Jive from 4 to 8 p.m.
